How much appreciation does a Maverick deserve? The model came into the world as a compact car with pony styling features, a sort of sidekick to the Mustang. At launch, it sold three times as many units as the Mustang, but it never gained the glamour of its older sibling. This example, though, has traveled an almost unheard-of 12,000 miles since new. Find it here on eBay priced at $12,500 or best offer. The car is located Mandan, North Dakota, and reading between the lines of the seller’s description, it can probably be driven home, provided you don’t have qualms about adding to its odo reading.
At its introduction, the Maverick was a cheap, no-frills vehicle running a 170 cu. in. six. It didn’t even come with a glove box. But its ponycar styling helped Ford capture buyers who would otherwise spring for Beetles and Corollas. This one’s VIN tells us that the inline six-cylinder in its engine bay is the downmarket 200 cu. in. Thriftpower, good for about 85 hp; it’s paired with Ford’s C4 three-speed automatic. The well-heeled buyer could opt for a 250 cu. in. six, or the top-shelf 302, and if he was feeling particularly flush, maybe the Grabber package.
Why can’t we have interiors like this these days? Not that I am so fond of lime green, but at least it’s different. Dig that headliner – an acre of lime green, and in great condition! This car is so fresh, it still retains the “safety precaution” sticker on the dash. The trunk is nearly pristine. Alas, all is not perfect, however: the passenger’s side front fender is seriously creased. While believing the mileage claim is easy given this car’s condition, I wish the seller would provide receipts, a window sticker, an owner’s manual – any documents that might support the claim of originality.
The Maverick was beefier than many of its import competitors, and by 1974, its size was exacerbated by bumpers that had grown to suit new 5 mph regulations. Meanwhile, Ford had introduced a seriously small car – the Pinto – in 1971. Thanks to a couple of energy crises during the 1970s, the economical Pinto managed to outsell the Maverick by 1 million units. But today, I’ll vote for any Maverick all day long over any Pinto, and in the case of this impressive survivor – well, I’d be happy to find it in my garage, warts and all.
Well preserved!
As I get older, the more and more I like the styling of this car – it is a really, really sharp design. The bumpers though…Sheesh!
How hard would it be for a guy at home to put original style bumpers on this car?
Possible but not a simple bolt on backdate.. Parts needed: 1971–1972 bumpers and mounting brackets, early front gravel pan, front and rear valances, early rear quarter end caps, and filler trim pieces. Some minor welding and cutting required.
Owned two of these in the 80s. Ran forever!
It was 1970. The teacher at my daycare (or nursery school as it was called) had just gotten a new Maverick. She was excited and took all us kids out to the parking lot to see it. It was this shade of green. I still remember marveling at the green plastic dash. Most of us were poor or lower middle class and had never seen a brand new car up close so the teacher’s excitement rubbed off on us. Come to think of it, I don’t know how a daycare teacher afforded a new car, either.
I also remember her one time taking us on a walk to sightsee at a house that had burned a couple days before. Somebody should probably have investigated her.
She sounds pretty cool. Any preschooler I know would like to see a burned out house. As for her being able to afford a new car in 1971, I remember living on practically nothing back then. It’s called the hollowing out of the middle class
And, if the base price was $2,175.00, that’s about $18,000.00 today.
If the average sticker price of a car was $3,600.00, that’s about $29,700.00 today.
The average cost of a car in 2025? $50,326.00
Of course, every car has all the features now, but still…
We were so into cars (in 1973) that our third grade teacher scheduled us a trip to the Baltimore GM plant ! I remember seeing guys hand spraying 1974 Impalas. We all left the plant with a real build sheet. Mrs. Miller.
When I was in junior high, circa 1971, a lot of teachers drove new cars. My 6th grade homeroom teacher had a Porsche 911, the math teacher had a Cougar XR-7, a my science teacher drove a new K5 Blazer! Being brought up around all kinds of cars, I thought they were neat, but was never awestruck.
Of course it was a basic, cheap economy car. But, even a basic, cheap economy car can have attractive styling. Which the (pre-big bumper) Maverick had.
I too like the flashy upholstery.
Good job Michelle.
My mother’s car was a 1974 Maverick when I was born two years later, but four doors and robin-egg blue, inside and out. My father still to this day claims that was the best car they’ve owned. I remember much about this car despite being so young – the lap belts throughout (which my mother always had to throw her arm across me when she stopped short – a la Frank Costanza) … the time the muffler fell off (1979/80) after she visited a friend, and she blasted the AM radio to cover the sound and Nicolette Larson’s “Lotta Love” was playing … the rust holes that appeared in the trunk around 1983 when she traded it in thanks to New England winters …
Always have a soft spot for these Mavericks. Good times in a good childhood.
Wow, its just so hard to believe a nice clean original Maverick can still be out there. But here you have it. Love that sticker on the dash too. Even though I prefer the early bumper models, If this were mine, I’d leave it be. Too nice, too original, I could live with it. This is just incredible. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Very clean basic survivor here leave it that way.
Stepmother had a ’70 in the same color with a 3 on the tree transmission. Loved driving (abusing) that car as a new kid driver. Used to downshift early causing a sound that my friends called “The Bat Turbos”. Took it for NJ inspection once and the tech asked me to drive it through the DMV tests because he had no experience with a column shift car. Miss that little green rocket, loved the styling.
My uncle traded in his 1968 Impala wagon for a 1971? Maverick Grabber. It was blue w/ black interior, 302 – 4 speed I believe. That little car would really go. I remember it had a chrome shifter that came up from the floor and curled back over the bench seat. The shifter alone made it the coolest car I’d seen up to that point.
I’d name it “Wally”. (Green Monster!)
I like the interior! If you can buy it under $10k I’d have the front fender fixed and the bumpers brought in. Then I’d leave it and drive it.
Friend of mine had one of these he swapped a “289 hypo” he called it into…4 speed and 9″ rear/posi. Claimed it was a Big block Chevelle/Camaro/Nova killer. Now, I have to live up to my name and this led to some pretty heated exchanges as you can imagine. That would be fun to do with this car though! At least for him maybe although gotta admit some admiration for one of any stripe that looks this good. Even a Ford!
My sister had a Comet and I hated it.
Boy, that interior sure screams 70’s. I remember these well. Our next door neighbor had one back in the early 70’s when I was a kid. Thought they were good looking little cars. This one sure looks like a cream puff. Sad the rt front fender got some damage but the rest of it looks in primo shape.
These with the small six-banger always idled roughly and had no power. When you advanced the timing to smooth-out the idle, that added plenty of lively pep; however, even slight acceleration made the engine ping like a 429 on 87 octane unleaded gas. There was no “sweet spot”, where you could get smooth operation, some semblance of energy, and no pinging. These RUST THROUGH something terrible: on the tops of the front fenders behind the headlamps, and behind the rear wheels into the trunk.One or two winters, no matter how carefully you wash the car, and you’re done. And I am not into owning a car I have to keep in the garage from late September until the end of May (Adirondack winters are the longest season of the year, by far; but at least, we don’t wilt and die through long summers! I’d rather shovel-out a May 23rd blizzard, then melt into a sweatty puddle in June! In June, we still have two feet of snow in the woods: keeps things refreshingly cool. And mountaintops have snow in July. If you cannot deal with 32° below zero in mid-January, you might not care to move here. But when you are dying under 96° heat, it’s 72° here!)
The reason for only 12,000 miles on a 1974 ford maverick. Nobody wanted to be seen driving it. All the miles were because it was only driven after dark.
Ah! BE NICE, Joe!
He’s still starting from that time a matron in a Ford Tempo, smoked him off the line in his Z-24 Cavalier.
Sorry little c, 66 years young,never owned anything with a 4 or 6 cylinder. I am pretty sure that big c doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Tell me what you think it means, JoJo?